Spring-wheel.



' P; A.fsAGEN.

SPRING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED APR.23, |917.

,287,762. Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

@vih/n coo PETER A. SAGEN, 0F VAUSAU, WISCONSIN.

SPRING-WHEEL.

` Application led April 23, 1917.

Z 10 all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER A. SAGEN, `a citizen of the United States,residing at VVausa-u, in the county of Marathon, State of Visconsin,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Viheels; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make i and use the saine.

. my invention will now be fully set forth and described, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a partial side elevation and partialsectional view of a fragment of a wheel embodying the invention. n

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the spring` devices,

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 6 is an elevation ofa locking bolt n used in my invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents the inner rimwhich is supported by a usual hub and spoke structure. Inclosing the rim1 in spaced relation thereto is an outer. rim 2 which is formed of acontinuous band of resilient steel, the rims 1 and 2 being held inspaced relation by means of a series of resilient shock absorbingelements. The rims 1 and 2 are inclosed by a iexible casing 3 which ispreferably made of rubber and otherwise formed to simulate theappearance of the usual shoe or casing of an automobile tire. The casing3 is of such a diameter that the rim 2 lies against the inner face ofthe peripheral portion of the casing, while the marginal edges of thecasing 3 are secured to the edges of the inner rim 1, as by the rings31. c

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918. serial No. 163,902. n

Interposed between the rim 2 and the rim 1 are the resilient units whichare formed by the shaped leaf springs 4 and the shoes 5. The shoes 5consist of trough like plates having an arcuate cross section whichcorresponds to the curvature of the inner face of the casing 3, and areclosed at their ends by the segmental plates 6. The springs 4 are formedof leaf spring metal into arcuate portions 7 and the feet 8 and 9. Thearcuate portions 7 bear within the trough like plates or shoes 5, andthe feet 8 and 9 ride upon the periphery of the rim 1, the engagement ofthe feet 8 and 9 with the rim 1 being a slidable one, so that thesprings 4 may absorb the shock and jar of travel, which is transmittedfrom the outer rim. Each of the shoes 5 corresponds with one of thesprings 4, and is united therewith by means of a bolt 10, Fig. 6, saidbolt passing through the arcuate portion 7 and the middle of the shoe 5.Each of the bolts 10 is provided with a transverse crescent shaped headl1, and in the assemblage of the wheel, the bolts are passed through thecasing 3, the shoes 5,'and springs 4, the inner ends of the bolts beingprovided with the nuts 12 for tightening the heads of the bolts inposition by means of which the assemblage is drawn in secure relation.rIhe heads 11, ex-L tend transversely of the casing 3, in snug relationthereto, and constitute antiskidding elements for the wheel.

The feet 8 and 9 of the springs 4 are of different character, the feet 8comprising a pair of spaced toes 13 between which the single toes 14 ofthe feet 9 of the adjacent springs 4 may ride the feet 8 and 9 of thealined springs being thus permitted to overlap without interfering withtheir independence of operation. Passing transversely through theflanges of the inner rim 1 are the bolts 15 which are so spaced that oneappears above each set ofthe overlapping feet 8 and 9 of the springs 4,the latter being thereby secured to the rim 1. The bolts below the boltsl5, and the shoes 5 are alined end to end within the rim 2, acontinuously resilient structure is formed wherein the spring units takethe place of the usual filler of the casing. As the wheel progressesover the surface, the pressure is communicated successively to the shoesand springs, the latter receiving the shocks communicated from the outerrim and absorbing them in eX sanding against the inner rim.

hrom the foregoing description it will be apparent that I'have providedasimple and compactly constructed spring wheel which can be made tosimulate to an almost identical degree the appearance of a wheelprovided with a pneumatic tire. The flexible rubber casing 3 is expandedby means of the continuous succession of spring units, and the treadsurface of the casing is properly reinforced by the series of shoes.

A combination of a resilient steel band constituting an outer rim withthe casing 3 permits the independent tension or distortion of the lowerkside of the wheel without the necessity of a. relative compensation byan operation oi' the inner and outer rims on the opposite sides of thewheel.

It is noted that distortion of the outer rim due to load strain would bedistributed throughout the major portion of the lowe-r side of thewheel, thus the correlative movement of adjacent shoes radially of thewheel would be very slight, and the consequentV correlative movement ofthe end walls 6 of the shoes would be `almost infinitesimal, so that theend walls ot' the shoes may be positioned nearly in abutting contact,without adverselyiaffecting the desired yielding of the outer rim 2. t

Vhat I claim as my invention is l. In a springwheel the combination withan inner rim, of an outer rim consisting oic a eXible steel band, acasing inclosing the outer rim andl secured to the inner rim, aplurality of shoes forming a continuous succession around the inside ofthe casing and secured to the outer rim, spring elements secured to theshoes and bearing upon the inner rim, and sliding connections betweenthe inner rim and the springs, said shoes providing guides for thebodies of the spring elements.

2.V In a spring wheel, the combination with an inner rim, of an outerrim consisting of a iiexible steel band, a casinginclosing the outer rimand secured to the inner rim, spring elements bearing upon the innerrim, a plurality of shoes forming a continuous succession around theinside of the casing, each shoe forming a guide for one of the springelements, the inner rim and the springs having sliding connections, and

b olts passed through the casing, the outer rim, the shoes, and thecorresponding springs and securing all of the elements together.

3., In a spring4 wheel, the combination with an inner rim, of an outerrim consisting of akflexible steel band, a casing` inclosing the outerrim and secured to the inner rim,

spring elements bearing, uponthe innerfrim, a plurality of shoes forminga continuousA succession around the inside of the casing and seatingagainst the outer rim, said spring4 elements having slidino' connectionswith 75 the inner rim and said shoes forming ,guidesl for the bodies ofthe spring elements, bolts passed through the casing, the outer rim, theshoes, and the corresponding.springs to secure all of the partstogether, and said 80 PETERVA. SAGEN:

Witnesses:

W. E. HUD'rLorF, A. O.` PLANTZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained f or five cents each, byaddressing the Comzilissionerl of Patents,- Washngton, D. CJ.

